VW Faces $17B Fine for Emissions Scam

I agree and I have a fair opinion of posters at "TDI forum." But I would not want their opinion of Prius owners be formed by my PriusChat 'ignore list.'

I went there to give them a clue that Prius folks are not that f*ckin' fraud sold to them by VW. I don't know if it did any good but it wasn't because I didn't reach out . . . extend the hand. I like to think I was fair yet not a patsy. So when one of their members posted some Prius myth, I replied with Google "Prius myth." And on the second post of the same nonsense, mokustasu, let it dangle in the wind.

We share a common goal, an efficient ride. Regardless of our rides, we have more in common than apart. Sure, both hybrids and TDI rides could be better, both, but let's not let the VW assh*les drive in an artificial wedge. The one thing that would shake up VW and Toyota would be common alliance by their customers.

Bob Wilson

Uh OH!

Source: VW halts Passat diesel output in Chattanooga

November 10, 2015 - 2:30 pm ET

WASHINGTON -- Volkswagen of America has halted production of diesel-powered 2016 Passat midsize sedans at its plant in Chattanooga, a VW spokesman said today.

The pause comes midway through a planned production ramp-up for the re-engineered Passat. Gasoline-powered 2016 Passats are scheduled to arrive in U.S. dealerships later this month or in early December.
. . .
Sales of the 2016 models have effectively been barred since then, and VW withdrew its application for EPA certification on its 2016 2.0-liter diesel models on Oct 7, according to agency.

Wilson said he learned of the Passat diesel pause today but didn’t know exactly when production ended, though it was probably in the last several weeks.

On Sept. 30, he told Automotive News that Passat TDI production was ongoing, and that the “the few” that were being built were being held aside and not released to dealers. That situation continued at least through mid-October, Wilson said in an email at the time.​

Slowing production makes sense as the dealers have no more parking places for unsellable diesels. But this sounds like more than just a software re-flash. Or worse, it may mean they have to 'clear out' the dealer inventory before production resumes. The usual metric is 'days backlog.' Under the freeze, the days are infinitely long.

Bob Wilson

 

I can't complain about the guys over on Fred's TDI. It was due to their complaining about them that made me decide to try out hybrids.

 

Every single word is totally believable. Shoot, they talk like that while on holiday

 

Source: VW sets end-November deadline for diesel cheat whistleblowers: Sueddeutsche| Reuters

Volkswagen (VOWG_p.DE) has set an end-November deadline for its whistleblower program meant to encourage staff to reveal to hired investigators what they know about the rigging of diesel emission tests, German newspaper Sueddeutsche Zeitung reported.
. . .
VW is promising staff they will keep their jobs and will be exempt from damage claims if they shed light on the scandal, but board members and levels of management directly below them are be excluded from the scheme, Sueddeutsche Zeitung said.​

Give them 60 days to assemble the material and January looks to be a good window to read the report . . . if made public.

Bob Wilson

 

tough situation, can make you a pariah.

 

So, is this a way of saying that those with first hand knowledge of what the board members knew will be sued if they reveal it?

 

​

Interesting update. The search for the renegade software intern continues ...but now with "hired investigators".

 

Source: http://www.nytimes.com/2015/11/12/business/international/vw-scandal-eu-emissions-tests.html?_r=0

LONDON — Four years ago, European auto regulators identified and debated a loophole in their pollution testing rules that could render vehicle emissions tests ineffectual, but it was ultimately left in place, internal documents show.

The loophole lets carmakers change the performance settings of their engines before a pollution test. “A manufacturer could specify a special setting that is not normally used for everyday driving,” British regulators warned, according to minutes of a 2011 meeting in Geneva of officials across the region.
. . .
Regulations that apply in Europe say “the settings of the engine and of the vehicle’s controls shall be those prescribed by the manufacturer.”
. . .
Different engine configurations can produce substantially different tailpipe emissions. A “sports” setting can emphasize more power and less fuel and pollution efficiency. An “eco” setting can do the opposite. Or a car can default to an in-between setting for everyday driving.​

Now we have the bridge, the clue as to why VW would have done it. Only VW didn't reveal what they'd done until caught. But it also explains this:

Source: New report suggests Vauxhall / Opel using VW-style Defeat Device to scam emissions tests

. . . General Motors – with their European brands of Vauxhall and Opel – are facing tough questions about their emissions after a report by the German environmental group Deutsche Umwelthilfe (DUH) found test results they believe demonstrate GM’s cars in Europe have vastly different emissions when on the EU test two-wheel rolling road.

The car tested – at the Bern University of Applied Sciences – was a 2015 Opel Zafira 1.6 CDTi, which when tested on a two-wheel rolling road emitted NOx levels within Euro6 limits, but when put on a four-wheel rolling road the levels of NOx – but using the exact same tests – rose by up to 400 per cent, and up to 17 times increase under certain driving conditions.​

I first read a similar report a week ago but did not want to post it. The Leads College group had provided the initial report but here we have a second source.

Source: Some Vauxhall diesel cars among UK's worst polluters

OWNERS of some Vauxhall diesel cars who might think they’ve avoided the shadow of Volkswagen’s current troubles are in for a shock — their cars are among Britain’s most polluting vehicles.

Researchers at Leeds University who monitored the exhaust emissions of thousands of cars found that certain Vauxhall Corsa, Astra and Vectra models typically produced twice the level of toxic nitrogen oxides (NOx) as rival manufacturers’ cars.

The worst offender was the Vectra. Some versions produced up to 10 times the levels permitted by EU law.​

Bob Wilson

 

Gee - does this mean GM was not forthcoming? Hard to imagine, being the paragons of virtue and all . . . .
Yea - if enough manufacturers are determined to be criminals, good chance they'll collectively be able to cry (as kids do), well Johnny does it too" . . . . everyone gets a Mulligan . . . . . and goes home with a heartfelt promise to never do that again

.

 

I'm thinking the initial software hack was written on the assumption there might be a way to indicate "Eco" or "Pwr" mode. Only they forgot to include the "Eco" and "Pwr" mode switch. I wonder if there might be another car that has three modes:

1. "Eco"
2. "Normal"
3. "Pwr"

Sounds like an interesting area for emissions testings.

Bob Wilson

 

Emission testing by the EPA uses the default mode the car starts up in. So VW still cheated by having their default mode turn off during the test.

 

This may have been the first of the studies leading up to exposure of the VW scam:
http://ec.europa.eu/clima/policies/transport/vehicles/docs/2011_pems_jrc_62639_en.pdf
Especially interesting for us is vehicle G.

 

VW’s Diesel Dilemma (Show #1935) on Autoline This Week reviewed the VW scandal and had a interesting observation:

The three-way catalyst works just fine at higher power levels. They just vary slightly around stoichiometric combustion ratio and run a little hotter.

In contrast, the diesel emission system size are power dependent. At higher power levels, they need a larger system because their NOx purge systems, NOx and SCR, have to be sized proportional to the gas flow. This explains why the cheat software showed up even in the SCR vehicles.​

This was the first time the Detroit News really thought about what happened with something other than 'mischievous boys got caught.' Their earlier reports tried to be as sympathetic as possible to VW. But I think the full impact of how extensive this fraud must have been finally is starting to sink in.

The only thing missing is understanding the health aspect of NOx. It is not as lethal as carbon monoxide, it just leads to debilitating lung issues. So a flu, cold, or pneumonia, a secondary, kills the victims.

Bob Wilson

 

Hi Bob, my understanding of the main importance of NOx emissions is it's key role in the formation of photochemical smog, such as that which plagues LA and other large cities.

In the presence of ultraviolet light, NOx reacts with VOCs (Volatile Organic Compounds) to form "secondary pollutants" such as Ozone and Peroxyacyl nitrates (PANs) which are powerful respiratory and eye irritants.

Also important in setting and enforcing different emissions limits for different pollutants are the ambient VOC/NOx Ratios.

But good luck trying to explain ozone isopleths to an irate diesel enthusiast who thinks it's just a conspiracy to keep foreign diesels off the US market.

 

It just dawned on me - normally the shield that a corporate identity provides, prevents the upper decision making echelon from being personally sued - at least as far as it goes towards negligence. But criminal? That can happen. It should. I doubt that it will. That will be a stark reminder how the system protects its own.
.

 

There are reports that some VW engineers and managers are concerned that if they travel to the USA, they may become subject to our legal system.

This is where a medically trained or environmental scientist could bring insights to not only us but the lay public. My chemistry is undergraduate and high school and does not include enough organic chemistry to be expert. So 'red fuming nitric oxide', a rocket oxidizer, I understand. But the various NOx paths to human, fauna, and flora remains something I don't have a good handle.

Still, I've seen and felt the impact of such pollution. So I know it is real but the actual chemical paths and reactant life times remains an open question.

One thing I'm thinking of doing is seeing if we can combine the MIT study of the VW health risk that includes a TDI density map with the EPA NOx map. The EPA map shows some areas have had a steadily decreasing rate of NOx but others have leveled off and there is data suggesting a slight increase in the years since 2008. The "smoking gun" would be finding areas of the polluting, higher density VW diesels correspond to poor air quality metrics.

But with understanding, there may be fauna and other metrics that even our VW friends can observe. Someone else's asthma or coughing spat is too easily ignored or assigned to other vectors.

Bob Wilson

 

Easy enough to find in Europe cities.

 

Ahhh, found the EPA web site that shows historical, air pollution levels:
AirTrends | Air & Radiation | EPA

Bob Wilson

 

Source: VW diesel engine emissions fix for European models

The automaker delivered details of a solution for the 1.6-liter diesel engine used in some 540,000 VW Group cars in the country, to the Federal Motor Transportation Authority (KBA). The KBA is now in the process of evaluating the fix. VW has not shared specifics of the proposed solution with the media at this point, though the engine is believed to require both a hardware and software fix.

Volkswagen CEO Matthias Mueller suggested that the modifications to this engine will involve the installation of a larger catalytic converter and a switch to a different type of a injection nozzle, at the very minimum.​

Uh Oh! Both don't sound very fuel efficient.

Bob Wilson

 

diesel shmiesel.